EurekaThe world needs a replacement for plastic. But where would we find such a material? Is wood the answer? Separating wood into its constituent parts could be the future for other weird and wonderful applications. Lee Williams looks into the potential of wood fibers.READ MORE

There's still time to plan your trip to Mississippi State University (MSU) to attend the Introduction to Wood Science and Forest Products Course. Presented by the Forest Products Society (FPS) in conjunction with Mississippi State University (MSU), students will gain a valuable industry education taught by esteemed professors and experts.READ MORE

FPSThe 21st NDTE Symposium is scheduled for Sept. 24-27, 2019 in Freiburg, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. The Symposium is hosted by the Forest Research Institute Baden-Wurttemberg (FVA) and cosponsored by the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory, the Forest Products Society and the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations.

This Symposium is a forum for those involved in nondestructive testing and evaluation of wood, wood-based products, and structures. It will bring together the international nondestructive testing and evaluation research community, users of various nondestructive testing technologies, equipment development and manufacturing professionals, representatives from various government agencies and other groups to share research findings and new nondestructive testing products and technologies. Networking among participants will foster new collaborative efforts, with an emphasis on implementation of nondestructive testing technologies around the globe.

The call for papers is open. Please go to ndtesymposium.org to submit abstracts and see the program.

FPSFPS Northwest Section is bridging the gap between forest product academics, students, scientists and researchers with industry professionals during the "Future of Wood' Workshops and Mass Timber Tour, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 17 and 18, at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Oregon. Co-located with the popular Timber Processing and Energy Expo, the event will allow individuals to meet and network with FPS members in the Northwest and learn about these critical areas:

University Update and Future of the Workforce: A Panel Discussion of University Deans and Primary Faculty

The Seattle TimesEach year, from late summer into early fall, wildfires leave their mark across much of the Northwest. Heat, drought and unhealthy forest conditions add to the risk of the natural cycle of burning becoming catastrophic blazes. Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service announced a new strategy for managing catastrophic wildfires by improving forest health.READ MORE

Timber Trades JournalTree planting must be made easier to encourage investment in Northumberland and offer new opportunities in the uplands after Brexit, a forestry summit has been told. The event was held to discuss the role of forestry and wood processing in the Borderlands Growth Deal, which aims to revitalize five areas either side of the England/Scotland border — Northumberland, Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway, the Scottish Borders and the city of Carlisle.READ MORE

Daily Commercial NewsConstruction is underway in downtown Toronto on a multistory mixed-use project that incorporates an innovative combination of glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT). The timber installation, scheduled for completion in mid-September, encompasses a combined floor and roof area of 3,800 square meters.READ MORE

AgAlertFor a month, the Donnell Fire has been chewing its way through the Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County, California. Amid a stand of blackened trees along Clarks Fork Road near Pinecrest, Ken Fleming saw signs of hope. "This timber is salvageable if we get it within two years," he said. "And for the most part, it will be good timber. It's still viable for lumber."READ MORE

CBC NewsForestry professors from the University of New Brunswick and the University of Maine say they are not surprised to hear New Brunswick government forecasters are projecting much larger yields of wood from replanted areas on Crown land than was thought possible five years ago. Those projections were used to justify a decision last month to place 150,000 hectares of Crown land under conservation protection just four years after that protection was removed from a similar amount of land by then premier David Alward.READ MORE

Think WoodWhen a fraternity of jocks force a group of underdogs and computer "nerds" out of their college dormitory, in the cult classic 1984 film, "Revenge of the Nerds," the "geeky" outcasts are forced to relocate, first to the gymnasium and then to a dilapidated house off campus, where they eventually plot their revenge. A lot has changed since that time, with such nerdy stereotypes giving way to computer-savvy techies who now launch multimillion dollar startups and help reinvent the digital world as we know it.READ MORE

myMotherLode.comA bill signed at the state capitol will extend a pilot program that allows California landowners who are clearing defensible space to sell the wood they cut down without doing a timber harvesting plan. Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson introduced the pilot program in 2014 as way to create a financial incentive for those wanting to make their land more fire resilient. A timber harvesting plan can cost up to $45,000 to develop.READ MORE

BusinessGreenNew rules to limit the cash available for biomass projects in upcoming government clean energy auctions have been slammed by the industry, which warns curbing biomass growth will "make it harder and more expensive" to ease coal power off the U.K. grid. But environmental campaigners who have long opposed biomass over fears it can inadvertently drive deforestation have cheered the moves, expressing "relief" that subsidies for the technology are being revised.READ MORE